Kristen Mueller

Scientific Program Director

Kristen received her B.A. in biology from Carleton College and earned her Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Minnesota, where she studied the molecular regulation of T cell activation and adhesion – two processes critical for T cell responses to infection and for killing tumors. She continued to study similar processes in T cells as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH. While at NIH, she also served as a member of the Fellows Committee (FELCOM), an advocacy group for NIH postdocs, and co-chaired the Career Development Subcommittee of FELCOM. Prior to joining MRA, Kristen was a Senior Editor at the journal Science, which she joined in 2008. At Science, her primary responsibilities included orchestrating the peer review process for manuscripts covering subjects such as cancer immunology and immunotherapy, infectious disease and vaccines and also attracting the best research in these fields to Science. Kristen also developed special issues on key topics of interest for the field, organized scientific conferences and built interpersonal relationships – skills that will serve her well as MRA’s Scientific Program Director.Kristen Mueller joined the Melanoma Research Alliance in 2017 with more than 15 years of experience in biomedical research and scientific publishing. She currently manages MRA’s research awards, including the solicitation, peer review, and oversight of approximately $8 to $10 million per year in funded programs. She is also responsible for coordinating MRA’s Annual Scientific Retreat.